"We Care" Beef Campaign In Japan Carries Strong Holiday Message
US - An extensive U.S. beef education campaign waged by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) in Japan is getting in the holiday spirit this month, as advertisements in Japanese newspapers and on commuter trains extol the safety and quality of U.S. beef.
18 December 2006
2 minute read
The ads are part of the USMEF “We Care” campaign. A one-third page color ad already has appeared in Nikkei Newspaper, which is distributed throughout Japan, as well as in the Yomiuri newspaper in Osaka and Tokyo. The ad will appear in other Japan newspapers Dec. 15. In-train ads are appearing in nine Japanese train lines.
Magazine ads will be added for the New Year, with total newspaper and magazine circulations for the Christmas and New Year versions totaling about 33 million. The in-train ads will be viewed by about 21 million people a day for one month. Magazines carrying the New Year’s version of the ad include Orange Page, Story, Thank you!, TV Guide, Monthly Television, Croissant and Lettuce Club.
“These ads reaffirm the U.S. commitment to provide safe, top quality beef to Japanese consumers,” says Greg Hanes, USMEF Japan director. “We want them to know that American beef is a product they can always count on.”
Celebrating the “joys of beef,” the ads are made possible by Market Access Program (MAP) funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They celebrate the “tender care of everyone’s thoughts as they gather around the table. That, above all else, is what American Beef is all about,” the ads state. Safety and quality of the product are also highlighted in the ads.
The “We Care” campaign is a multi-faceted effort highlighting the sincerity of U.S. producers in delivering safe and quality beef products for consumers to enjoy. It features both trade and consumer elements including advertising, virtual video tours, retail and foodservice promotions, point-of-sale materials, buyer teams, a beef caravan seminar series, local barbecues, media events and other promotional efforts.
In addition to the advertising, the WeCare web site (www.wecare.jp) has been updated with holiday season information, including holiday recipes and restaurants that held the American Beef Happy Holiday campaign on Dec. 1.
“We’ve stepped up our consumer presence with these efforts,” says Hanes. “Though challenges in Japan remain, we believe our ‘We Care’ campaign addresses the key obstacles to increase beef exports to, and improve consumer demand in, this huge market.”
The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, lamb, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.
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